Ursula (Once Upon a Time)
Her apartment Poseidon's Ocean |occupation = Aquarium worker (formerly) Singing entertainer (formerly) |relatives = Poseidon (father) *Mother † |appearance=Cecaelia with blond hair (formerly black), dark skin, brown eyes |actress = Merrin Dungey Tiffany Boone |inspiration = Sea Witch and the titular character from the fairytale "The Little Mermaid" One of Poseidon's daughters from Greek Mythology The character of the same name and partly on Ariel from the Disney film, The Little Mermaid.}} Princess Ursula, also known as the Sea Witch, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She débuts in the eleventh episode of the fourth season and is portrayed by guest stars Merrin Dungey and Tiffany Boone. Ursula is based on the Sea Witch and the titular character from the fairytale "The Little Mermaid", and on one of Poseidon's daughters from Greek Mythology. She is also based on the character of the same name and partly on Ariel from the Disney film, The Little Mermaid. History After that, Ursula becomes a well-known villain in the Enchanted Forest, earning the nickname "Sea Witch". Her reputation is important enough to be known by Rumplestiltskin and among other merfolk. However, during years, some of her actions as villain ended up being thwarted by heroes, as she began to harbor resentment against them. One day, Ursula receives a mysterious invitation to the Forbidden Fortress and leaves the sea to make the journey. Once there, she swiftly disposes of a guard in the hallway and strolls in as Maleficent tells her to halt. Ursula responds by lunging her tentacles, which Maleficent blocks with her staff. As the sea witch's appendages grab onto it, and both hold their own as they push each other back, Ursula states she was invited, although Maleficent claims she did send after her. In the midst of their bickering, they stop upon hearing the approaching barks of two hounds. The dogs' master, Cruella De Vil, then walks in and uses her power of persuasion to calm her pets. Last to arrive, Rumplestiltskin reveals he sent the invitations. Desiring help from all three women to retrieve a curse, he promises it will give them as well as himself the happy endings they otherwise would not get as villains. After agreeing, they travel with him to the Bald Mountain, where each woman uses their powers to defeat an obstacle. After Cruella and Maleficent take out the first two obstacles, Ursula grabs the curse orb with her tentacles, which triggers the Chernabog into attacking. Admitting that he used them, Rumplestiltskin advises the women about the Chernabog, which detects the heart with the greatest evil and devours it. He then leaves, with the curse orb, while the trio faces the winged demon. While the Chernabog goes after Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella climb up to a crack in the ceiling. Before the beast swoops down at Maleficent, Ursula hoists her to safety. Forming an alliance with Cruella and Maleficent, Ursula decides to stop the heroes who defeated them in the past and find a way for villains to win for once. Seeking a magic gauntlet in Rumplestiltskin's possession, the trio kidnap Belle and bring her to Demon's Bluff. As ransom, they force Belle to convey a message, via a hologram spell, asking Rumplestiltskin to bring the gauntlet in exchange for her life. Upon arrival, Rumplestiltskin magically strangulates Maleficent until Ursula counters by tightening her tentacles around Belle. Rumplestiltskin threatens to incinerate Maleficent if they hurt Belle, but then Cruella steps out to further pressure him to honor their deal. Since he does not, Cruella orders Ursula to crush Belle's heart. As Belle is almost suffocated to death, only then, he gives up the gauntlet and releases Maleficent from his grip. With the terms satisfied, the trio reveal their main motivation for having the gauntlet is to know their enemies' weaknesses. Maleficent transports herself and her allies away, but Rumplestiltskin later seeks them out to retrieve the gauntlet. Although Maleficent stubbornly insists they had a deal, the Dark One contends asking a ransom from him is a death wish and a fool's errand as he swiftly steals back the gauntlet. Cruella then suggests he join them to change the game so they, the villains, can win. Rumplestiltskin declares he always wins and doesn't need to team up with them to do it. At some point, the curse ends up in the Queen's hands, and she trades it to Maleficent for the sleeping curse to use on Snow White. When this curse is broken by Prince Charming, the Queen steals the curse she previously gave to Maleficent. Fearing that the Queen will cast the curse and doom them all, Ursula goes with Cruella and Maleficent to gain Snow White and Prince Charming's help. The trio wants the royal couple to ask the Tree of Wisdom how to defeat the curse, and only they can because the being will only answer questions from two of the most valiant of heroes. The pair eventually agrees to make the journey with the trio, but at a bridge crossing, the guards refuse them passage due to deeming Ursula and her two companions untrustworthy. Impatient, Maleficent morphs into a dragon, killing the soldiers with fire breath, as the bridge is left unguarded. After camping out at night, the villains realize too late that Snow White and Prince Charming left earlier without them. Tracking them down, they arrive just after the pair are denied an answer from the tree. On closer inspection of Snow White's overall physique, Maleficent recognizes the early signs of pregnancy. She suggests that although their child is a product of true love, it also means he or she has the potential to become evil, which is why the tree denied them. Departing, the three women decide to find another way to stop the curse. After a pregnant Maleficent stakes her claim on a cave and gives birth by laying an egg, she deploys Ursula and Cruella to guard the den entrance. While they are complaining about how cold it is outside, the two are knocked unconscious by Snow White and Prince Charming's poppy dust. The pair then ventures into the cavern, stealing Maleficent's egg, and later allow an Apprentice to cast a spell to infuse it with darkness so their own unborn child will not become evil. However, when Snow White and Prince Charming realize the spell has opened a portal and will condemn the child to another world, they try to save the baby, as Ursula and Cruella rush up to berate them for what they've done. In the midst of arguing, the portal sucks in not only the child but Ursula and Cruella as well. Arriving in Minnesota'Maleficent': "Just what the Dark One showed me... That she was banished to this world thirty years ago, to a place called Minnesota, where she was adopted by a couple." in the Land Without Magic, Cruella and Ursula choose to leave Maleficent's child in the woods to die, but they use the remaining dragon egg the child hatched from to prevent them from aging for thirty years. At a later time, the two women go their separate ways and Ursula gets a job in New York City as an aquarium fish feeder. }} For some unknown days, Ursula allows Mr. Gold to stay in her apartment. They later set out for Great Neck, Long Island to pick up Cruella De Vil, and with assurance from Mr. Gold about their cause, she drives them to a road near Storybrooke. Upon learning the town is invisible and cannot be entered, both Ursula and Cruella bitterly accost him, but Mr. Gold contends that they cannot get into Storybrooke without his help. In Mr. Gold's plan, Cruella and Ursula use his phone to call Regina. Claiming to have met Mr. Gold in New York City and learning about Storybrooke from him, they desire to enter the town and prove they've changed from their old ways. During the conversation, the pair hears the Chernabog's roar in the background and advise Regina on the beast's attributes. After the Chernabog is defeated thanks to their knowledge, Regina tosses a scroll over the town line, which Cruella opens to unveil Storybrooke. That night, in the final part of the plan, the villainous twosome return to the town line and help Mr. Gold cross into Storybrooke with the scroll. As they walk down the street, he instructs them to continue playing nice with the residents. When Ursula complains they are doing all the work, Mr. Gold reveals having managed to get the Chernabog released from the hat since he was the "Oxford professor" that Belle consulted for the spell to free those trapped in it. That night, Cruella and Ursula meet with David and Mary Margaret, who swear the two into never revealing their past dealings in the Enchanted Forest. Ominously, Mary Margaret promises to tear out their hearts herself if they don't comply. Ordering drinks at the diner, Ursula and Cruella receive a cold reception from Granny, who deliberately delays their orders. When Regina walks in with her son, Henry, the women casually cajole the former Queen about having once ripped out hearts from an entire region. Upset, Regina sends Henry out, and after he is gone, she warns the ladies from ever mentioning her past again in front of her son. Taking their leave, Ursula and Cruella depart as Hook and Emma arrive. Knowingly, the sea witch drops Hook's name and continues walking, which piques Emma's curiosity about how he knows Ursula. At the pawnshop, the women distract Belle as Ursula steals a wooden box to mislead David into believing they will use it to revive Maleficent. When David does a patrol search of their car, he steals the totem inside the box. After he and Mary Margaret venture unto Maleficent's cavern to destroy her ashes, Ursula knocks them out. Cruella then sacrifices some of the couple's blood to the ashes and resurrects Maleficent, who promises to make David and Mary Margaret suffer for as long as possible for what she did to her. The female trio later stands together on a hilltop overlooking the town as Maleficent teleports the totem to her, connecting it with a bottom half to make a baby rattle, and shakes it as a pained look crosses her face. As the villains have a get-together at the diner, Regina enters and persuades Maleficent that she wants to join their inner circle. Still skeptical, the ladies test their newest addition, in which Cruella drives her car onto railroad tracks while a train approaches. With everyone still seated in the vehicle, Regina must prove she is not heroic by not using magic to save them. Waiting until the train almost crashes into the car, only then, she teleports them out of harm's way. While the women think she's gone soft, Regina then suggests they stir up trouble elsewhere, and the foursome spends the night drinking and damaging public property. The next morning, Ursula, Cruella and Maleficent report to a cabin in the woods, where they tell Mr. Gold about Regina. He considers her a possible asset for their scheme since she's just as desperate as them to find the author, which convinces the women to trust her. That night, Maleficent meets up with Regina alone, instructing her to kidnap Pinocchio, who they need to interrogate about the author. The plan goes smoothly, and they bring the boy to the cabin, where Regina is shocked to see Mr. Gold has returned. When Ursula and Cruella arrive, Mr. Gold reveals Pinocchio is of no use to them, but the man he used to be remembers everything. Using his dagger, he reverts the boy into August, who they'll torture for information about the author. Under questioning, August lies about having information about the author in his old trailer, and as Mr. Gold goes to check, Ursula and the others keep watch on their captive. Hearing someone summon her via a conch shell, Ursula meets up with Hook, who agrees to give back her singing voice so she can tell him about Mr. Gold's plans. Since the shell that trapped her voice is in the Enchanted Forest aboard the Jolly Roger, she uses a piece of the ship's rigging to open a portal and cross realms to bring the vehicle to Storybrooke's harbor. She succeeds, however, the ship arrives shrunken and encased in a bottle. From Will, it is restored to normal size with a magic essence. Below ship deck, Hook gives Ursula the shell containing her singing voice, but she is unable to reabsorb it. Disappointed, she considers her happy ending is still impossible without the Author's help, causing her to void her deal with Hook, who pulls a gun on her. She easily knocks him out and throws him into the water before returning to the cabin. There, she assaults Mary Margaret, who arrived with Emma and David to rescue August. As Ursula refuses to relent, Hook returns with her father, Poseidon, who can restore her voice since he originally enchanted the shell. Poseidon apologizes to Ursula for using her singing voice for bad deeds and he expresses regret over not cherishing her gift to honor her mother's memory. After regaining her voice, Ursula fully reconciles with her father and decides to go home with him. Before leaving, she tells Hook about Mr. Gold's scheme to dethrone Emma as the Savior and make her evil. As Ursula explains, Emma gave everyone their happy endings in this world, and once she is not the Savior anymore, only then can the Author give the villains what they want. }} Magical Abilities Trivia Etymology *Her father named her Ursula after the sea goddess of the same name. Character Notes *Ursula is featured in the title card of "Poor Unfortunate Soul". *It is unknown if Ursula kept her mermaid ability to open portals when she turned herself into a cecaelia, or if this ability is also a cecaelia ability. |-|Production Notes= Production Notes *The casting call name for her younger self is Miranda. *Her younger self is described as "a 19- to 22-year-old princess", "warmhearted and passionate", who "wants nothing more than to bring peace and beauty into the world". The description also says "yet beneath her gentle exterior, she is headstrong and full of grit – so if you cross her, you may find her more terrifying than even the most powerful kings". It also mentions "she has a lovely singing voice". *Ursula's singing voice was neither Tiffany Boone's voice nor Merrin Dungey's voice. -|Cultural References= Disney *In the Enchanted Forest, Ursula wears a shell necklace similar to the one in the Disney movie The Little Mermaid. *In our world, Ursula wears a black jacket with purple, scale-like textures, and a purple scarf; a reference to Ursula's design in The Little Mermaid, where the character is lavender-skinned with six black tentacles with violet suckers. *Ursula loves singing/music due to her mother's influence, and because she loves singing, she goes against her father's orders, just like Ariel does in the 2008 prequel The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. *While working at a tavern, Ursula sings "Part of Your World" and "Fathoms Below" from The Little Mermaid. *Ursula is seeking passage to Glowerhaven, a reference to Prince Eric's line from The Little Mermaid, "You're not still sore because I didn't fall for the princess of Glowerhaven?" *Ursula takes her father's trident from him and uses it to perform magic, just like Disney's Ursula takes King Triton's trident and uses for the same purpose in The Little Mermaid. '' *The aria sung by Ursula when she gets her singing voice back, is the same tune that Ariel sings in the Disney film when Ursula takes her voice. (Poor Unfortunate Soul) *One of the fans at Isaac's book signing is dressed up as Disney's Ursula.File:421Fans.png ''Lost *Cruella De Vil, Mr. Gold and Ursula go to a Mr. Cluck's Chicken Shack restaurant, a famous fast food franchise on Lost. Popular Culture *While Ursula is enjoying a quiet moment outside Mr. Gold's cabin in the morning, the aria "Soave sia il vento" from Mozart's opera "Così fan tutte" is playing on her radio. |-|Set Notes= Set Dressing *Ursula's apartment in New York City is filled with ocean-themed decorations, including coffee cups with printed fish motifs,File:412UrsulaIsHome.pngFile:412LastRamen.png a sea shell,File:412ItsReady.png a squid-shaped wall hook,File:412HappyEndings.png framed pictures of fish,File:412EmptyPromises.png fish wall decor and a coral-shaped porcelain ornament.File:412AtAnAquarium.png The wall tapestry resembles seaweed. *One of the pictures pinned to the billboard in Lily's trailer is "'I know what you want' said the sea witch" (1916), an engraving by the Irish stained glass-artist and book illustrator Harry Clarke. It depicts the a scene from Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale "The Little Mermaid", with the titular character and the sea witch. de:Ursula it:Ursula ru:Урсула (морская ведьма) nl:Ursula Category:Once Upon a Time characters Category:Females